Pane E Vino

Paul and Josephine never disappoint! The quality and taste of every bite well exceeded any expectations. The service is personable and we love the ambiance. The pictures on the wall tell their story in Italy and we are thrilled they brought a taste of it to Cape Charles!!

I'm not entirely sure how to write this review. I think everyone here is very well-intentioned and I don't want to speak negatively about a business the owners are clearly extremely passionate about so please know this is purely describing my experience.Let me start with this: Pane E Vino has the unique distinction of being the first restaurant in thirty-four years to have a waitress who made me cry. I don't think this was her intention, but I wasn't expecting to get shamed (roasted? Aggressively judged?) for my choice of wine. Listen, I have my reasons. I could only have one glass of wine, and I wanted it to be one I liked. But when I ordered a glass of their Pinot grigio, the waitress made a disgusted face and was pretty forceful in suggesting something else. She said the Pinot grigio was not good. Scrunched her face and shook her head. I stammered for a bit and reluctantly agreed to a different wine. When I tried it, it was not what I wanted or liked, and I was embarrassed to have been called out so aggressively and wasted my one glass, so I went to go cry in their restroom (which was very clean, +1.) When I returned, a glass of the Pinot grigio was at my seat because my husband is an angel who can read the room. Our server did not ask how I liked the replacement, but didn't charge for the forced glass, so eh. Okay. I reset my mood in preparation to receive our steak, octopus, and mussels.This seems to be a place where there ARE right and wrong orders. The chef asked how we wanted our steak and we said medium rare. Personally, I like more medium, my husband prefers rare. We compromise like pros. The chef seemed to prefer the "rare" temp so our steak came out nearly raw. My husband said it was the perfect steak, so if this was his review, you may be hearing a different story. But friends, I'll attach a picture. There is no land where that steak was cooked to the temp we asked for. I ate three of the shrimp from the top, which were fine (my husband said "a little chewy.") The octopus was good, but certainly a sharing portion, so not very much. Don't count on it to be a meal, but that's implied. The mussels were well flavored, but quite crunchy. We agreed that they were not rinsed out properly or something-- they had a ton of grit and some significant little pearl-like chunks in them. At this point we were just wanting to leave, so we didn't mention it. In summary, I cried, my husband liked the steak, and we went straight from here to somewhere else to get me some dinner.

This is my second time dining and both times, were lovely.This time - we enjoyed the burrata, octopus, pasta and mussels. All were excellent, fresh, nice flavors, not too salty, just perfect. The octopus in particular was probably the best I have ever had - so tender! The owners - are a fantastic duo. This place has added so much value to our lovely town of Cape Charles.

Pane E Vino brings one of the most intimately special dining experiences in town. The atmosphere feels like a small trattoria in the Italian countryside. The food echos that feeling, Chef/Owner Paul focuses on traditional & simply delicious Italian classics. It's a pleasure to watch your dinner prepared in the open kitchen, while enjoying a bottle of wine from their curated wine list. We love the small plates that are big enough to share, giving you the option of trying multiple dishes. The menu changes daily; we had the pleasure of eating there two nights in a row a couple weekends & were able to choose something new each time! We just had a party for 15 people there & everyone was wowed by the food, wine, & service. Bottom line is: Great food & atmosphere with wonderful service! Paul & Josephine make dinner out feel like family ... it's our favorite spot in town

So lovely. The wine, Longhe doc Nebbiolo 2021, was delicious. The food -tapas- even better. Pork shanks were amazing. Mussels - ask how to enjoy the broth. Josephine and Paul are wonderful.

What a wonderful place this is! We were waited on by the owners themselves, who were incredibly considerate. We ordered muscles with the wine they recommended. It was truly an unforgettable meal. After the muscles, which were delicious, the owners came by with olive oil for us to try from their family farm in Italy. It was better than any store bought oil I have ever tasted, even from specialty shops. It was an amazing experience, absolutely essential for anyone visiting the area looking for a delicious meal made with care. As close to Italy as you can get!

Amazing restaurant!!! Delicious wine and tapas. If you want to be transported back to Italy, come here!!!

Recently my daughters and I purchased tickets to a comedy show in Cape Charles, VA. Across the street from the theatre is a lovely new venue with Italian appetizers, delicious wine, and a pleasant atmosphere. We reserved a table just in case others had the same pre-show idea. Good thing since the tables filled up quickly with theatre goers. Customer service was very good. The owners were accommodating, bringing drinks and food to our table in a prompt and friendly manner. The menu is limited which isn't a down-side since the food is fresh and homemade. We ordered the meatballs in red sauce both of which were authentic and delicious. The antipasti platter with flavorful salumi and high-quality cheeses delighted the palate. The red wine - a rich full-bodied Barolo - was incredible. It was truly a treat.In sum, what better way to set the stage than to wine and dine at Pane E Vino before the show?